


Come Hither

by anyjay



Category: Buffy the Vampire Slayer
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-02-25
Updated: 2012-02-25
Packaged: 2017-10-31 17:49:59
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 6,290
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/346786
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/anyjay/pseuds/anyjay





	1. Chapter 1

Xander resisted the urge to get up and pace around the kitchen. An hour of quiet meditation. Willow had to know that he so wasn't hour-of-quiet-meditation-guy. Still, she said it was important for the spell to work, so he was sitting here at the kitchen table trying to center himself and feeling more and more off center by the minute.

Xander heard the front door softly open and close. Either Giles was home or one of the "girls night out group" that Andrew had organized had returned. Xander wondered if he could count 47 minutes of nervous fidgeting as an hour of quiet meditation and leave now through the back door.

Giles walked into the kitchen, picked up the tea kettle and began to fill it from the tap. Xander realized he'd missed his chance to escape.

Giles turned and spotted his fellow watcher.

"Xander! I thought you'd gone out with the others."

Xander eyed the older man's happy grin with suspicion. "You look glad to see me," he said in a doubtful tone.

"Yes, yes, I suppose I am," Giles sounded as though he'd surprised even himself.

"You have some junior watcher thingy that needs doing?"

"No, no. I'm just pleased to see you looking so, uh, recovered after all you've been through. Life in London seems to agree with you." Giles turned and began to take the tea things from the cupboard with unwarranted concentration.

"I guess. I know you must be looking forward to an evening of tea-and-reading goodness, with the girls out of the house, and all. I'll get out of your way in a few minutes."

"Really, Xander, 'Slayer Central,' as the girls call it, is your home, too. You have every right to be here. Don't leave on my account."

"No, that's okay, Giles. I was leaving soon anyway."

"Ah… you have plans?"

"Just going down to one of the pubs -- one that isn't packed with Slayers."

"I'll come with you then." Giles started to take the kettle off the burner but paused when he saw the look on Xander's face. "Oh, you're meeting someone."

"Well I hope so," Xander said uncertainly.

"Not sure she'll be there? Is this a first date?" Giles replaced the tea kettle.

"Not, not exactly."

Giles nodded, accepting that Xander didn't want to discuss it. He leaned against the counter, half watching the kettle as he waited for it to boil. Xander tried to ignore Giles and concentrate on being all center-y. He looked up to see Giles smiling at him. "What's so funny?"

"N-Nothing."

"Then what are you grinning at?"

Giles opened his mouth to reply, but the kettle whistled, and he turned away to make his tea. Teacup in hand, Giles wandered over to sit next to Xander. He noticed the book on the table. "What are you reading?"

"Uh, that's Willow's. It's in Latin, not my thing."

Giles glanced at the metal bowl, and then used his teaspoon to poke at the ashes within it.

Xander briefly wondered if he could claim that he had started smoking, but one look at Giles' face told him it was hopeless. Xander fought the babble rising within him, but was unable to resist the power of Giles' raised eyebrows.

"It's just a little spell, very safe, hardly a spell at all really. Willow said my ego needed boosting, and she got on her resolve face and God! Could I be any more pathetic -- needing a spell to help me meet women?

"Xander!" Giles grabbed him by the shoulders. "A love spell? Didn't you learn anything from that debacle in high school? Do you want all the slayers running after you wth axes?"

"God, no! How stupid do you think I am? No, don't answer that. It's not a love spell. Willow called it a 'come hither' spell."

Giles stared blankly at Xander for a moment and then pulled his hands away as if they burned. He stood up and paced to the other side of the kitchen. "A come hither spell. I shall kill Willow with my bare hands."

"But Willow said it was a very mild spell. Just like, if I'm sitting in the pub and a woman likes what she sees, then she'll come over and talk with me. That's all. Willow promised it doesn't change anyone's feelings. It just gives them a little push to act on them.

"Did Willow also tell you that the stronger the feelings, the stronger the push?"

"Sure, but it's not like anyone is going to fall desperately in love with me tonight. I doubt if anything will really happen -- I mean, a one-eyed unemployed carpenter isn't exactly every woman's dream. I figure I sit at the pub for an hour, then come home and tell Will no such luck. Even Will said that spell is so mild she wasn't sure if it would work, didn't know if it could overcome 'overdone British restraint.'"

"Did Willow -- I need to see the spell she used.' Giles walked to the table and picked up the book. An odd expression came over his face.

"I don't know what page it was on," Xander said, "Somewhere near the middle, I think."

Giles set the book on its spine, and let it fall open. "Here it is."

"How'd you do that?"

"Just a reader's trick. If a book is opened to a certain page more than any other, it will often fall open to that page. This is the most used spell in the book."

"Willow's been using the come hither spell a lot? Do you think Kennedy knows?"

"This isn't Willow's book, Xander. It's mine. And its one I've had for a long, long time."

"What!"

"When I was young,reckless and running about in London, I must have cast this spell three times a week. Things were different then – no one had heard of AIDS, or penicillin-resistant diseases-- sex was open and casual and we thought we could do what we wanted without consequences." Giles smiled wryly at the memory. "You went to a club, you met a bird, you asked if she wanted to come back to your flat, you shared a shallow physical experience and never saw her again. That's what the seventies were about, for some people. For me, too, until I saw what I was becoming. The come hither spell was just one more shallow, thoughtless act on my part. I cast it, sat back and let them come to me. That's how I met Ethan, you know."

"I repeat, What!"

"Didn't Willow warn you? This spell works on men and women, both." Giles turned and stared hard into Xander's eyes. "How would you feel if it were a man who expressed interest?"

Xander stood up and moved away from Giles, crossing his arms across his chest. He was feeling more wigged by the minute, that's how he was feeling. Xander tried to break the tension, "Well, I did once ask Will to gay me up. Maybe she thought it was time… This is ridiculous, Giles, nothing is going to happen."

Giles continued to stare intently at the younger man for a moment, and then turned away, grabbing the top rail of one of the kitchen chairs and tightening his grip until his knuckles turned white.

"Are you okay?" Xander stepped towards him, but Giles threw up his hands to warn him away and said "I'm fine. Just. fine. Look here, if you and Willow cast this spell to help you meet women, why are you spending the evening sitting alone in the kitchen?"

"That's part of the spell. Willow said I needed to be quiet-meditation-guy for an hour before it could take effect. I'm supposed to be finding my center, which normally I'd think was about here," Xander pointed to his navel, "but now I'm not so sure."

"Nonsense," said Giles. "That spell is immediately effective. In fact, I think Ethan approached me while I was still in the middle of casting it."

"That can't be right," Xander objected. "Why would Willow tell me to sit here alone, when she had to know you'd be coming home and finding me here with that book and that bowl sitting in front of me, and oh, could I be any stupider. You two had another fight about her using too much magic, didn't you. And she cast a little spell on her stupid, half-blind friend to show you that you couldn't tell her what to do. Why do I always end up in the middle of these things?"

"I did not have a fight with Willow. She's handling her abilities very well lately. I told her so just the other day. But you're correct. She would have known I'd come home and find you here alone. Think! What was her mood like when she was casting the spell? Did she seem upset about anything, angry at you or at, at me?"

"No, no. She was all happy, fluffy Willow. The only thing she said about you was... she said she wished she could cast this same spell for you, but she didn't think you'd let her. I guess she doesn't know about you and the seventies. She said she wanted me to be happy and she wanted you to be happy, and neither of us to be alone. I guess she thinks you're as pathetic at meeting women as I am, huh G-man." Xander grinned.

Giles grinned, too, but somehow Xander didn't feel that it lightened the mood.

"Willow is very smart, isn't she, Xander. She's an academic powerhouse, and a incredible wiccan. But you think she understands her friends, the people around her? Does she know how they feel, what they want?"

The change of subject surprised Xander, but he understood Giles was a private person who didn't want to talk about his love life, or lack thereof. He gave some thought to Giles' question. "Yeah, I think she understands people, well, better than I do, anyway. That's for sure."

Giles walked over to stand next to Xander. "Yes. Maybe she understands better than either of us. Maybe she sees what I've been trying to hide. Maybe she thinks you're hiding something, too. I hope she really is your best friend, Xander, because I'm going to put my trust in Willow." And suddenly Giles had his arms around Xander, and he was kissing him, softly at first, and then more insistently, his body leaning into Xander's.

Xander was frozen with surprise at first, but then found himself responding, responding and opening his mouth under the onslaught of Giles' lips. Suddenly Gile's tongue was in his mouth, and his was in Giles' and all at once Xander realized that he was FRENCHING GILES. He broke out of Giles' embrace and stared at the man who suddenly seemed like a complete stranger.

"Giles, what are you doing!"

"Xander, I---"

"Stupid, stupid question. I know what you were doing. I even know what I was doing. Oh. My. God. Giles, this never happened. Let's be totally clear about that. It NEVER happened." And Xander fled out the back door.


	2. Chapter 2

Willow smiled with happy anticipation as she opened the front door. She'd purposefully spilled a drink on her blouse so she'd have an excuse to come home and check on Xander and Giles. Just a quick hello, to see how the spell went, and then she would change and go back out, leaving them with the whole house to themselves again.

She hoped she'd find them all snuggly-wuggly on the couch, happy and glowing. She pictured Xander saying, "Will, you are a goddess," and Giles adding "Yes, well done, Willow."

But the couch was empty. She walked quickly through the downstairs. No one there. Maybe they were in Gile's room. Quick work, Giles.

The bedroom Willow shared with Kennedy was on the third floor of the large house, next to the smallest room, which Giles had claimed for himself. Across the hall was a larger room with two twin beds and a curtain divider that Buffy shared with Xander. It was a little awkward, but Buffy preferred it to sharing with a bunch of teenaged slayers, and Xander preferred it to sharing with Andrew, so they made it work.

Andrew had insisted on sleeping in the large cupboard under the stairs on the main floor of the house. He said he wanted to be close to the kitchen, but they all knew he enjoyed pretending he was Harry Potter. The three bedrooms on the second floor (which they called the first floor here in England) were packed full of junior slayers, and Dawn.

Willow told herself it wasn't snooping to just look into Giles' room as she went past. After all, the door was open. Huh. The door was open and there was no one there. An empty bottle of Scotch stood on the bedside table. This might not be a good sign.

Willow knocked softly on Xander's door. When there was no answer, she opened it anyway. A cream colored envelope was propped up against Xander's alarm clock. His name was written across it in Giles' beautiful handwriting. Willow began to feel all forbode-y.

It only got worse in her own bedroom. An envelope with her name on it was lying on her pillow. Willow began to hyperventilate as she opened the envelope and read the note inside.

Willow--

Make an excuse for me with Buffy and the others. I am taking the first train out of London no matter its destination and will not return until I can face myself again.

Look after Xander.

What possessed you to cast that spell? Remove it at once. Xander deserves so much better from both of us.

\-- Giles

 

It wasn't supposed to turn out this way. There was supposed to be snuggly, happy Giles. Not angry, hurt Giles. What had happened?

Forgetting the stain on her shirt, Willow cast a quick locator spell, grabbed the letter from Xander's room and went in search of her best friend.

She spotted him as soon as she entered the pub. Crossing the room, she sat down in the barstool next to him.

"Xander?"

He looked up and smiled. "Willow! My very best friend in all the world. Come and have a drink."

"I think you may have had enough for both of us."

"No, no, no. What kind of an attitude is that? My philosophy is: Beer, Good. More Beer, More Good."

The bartender wandered over and took Willow's order. Setting the tall glass on the bar in front of her, he looked her over and then spoke to Xander.

"So this is the reason you were giving all those other birds the brush tonight. I guess you were right. This one is worth waiting for." He smiled and wandered off to serve other customers.

Willow gave Xander a quizzical look, "You've been brushing off birds?"

"I don't know what is wrong with the women in this town. When I'm out for a good time, no one gives me a second look, but when I'm trying to get good and trashed all by myself, they won't leave me alone. Apparently many, many women are attracted to surly drunks. How sick is that?"

"Yeah," Willow agreed, "or it could be because of the thing, Mr Tall, Dark and Sexy Eyepatch."

"The thing?"

"You know, the thing…The Thing…That thing, earlier this evening, in the kitchen."

"Oh my God! How would they know that Giles ki-- Oh! You mean the spell."

Willow gave him the look that said he was talking loudly in a public place about things that should not be talked about.

Raising his voice, Xander said "You mean the Spelling Bee. Yes. I was forgetting about the SPELLING BEE. We'd better get moving."

Xander threw some money on the bar, and hustled Willow out of the pub and down the street to a park-like area with a bench. A quick look around showed that the area was deserted.

"Listen, Will. That spell went wrong. It went wrong with a really, really big wrongness. There are no words to describe the extreme wrongess of that spell."

Willow felt awful. "What happened?"

Xander sat on the bench and stared at his shoes. He muttered something Willow couldn't hear.

"What did you say?"

Xander sighed, looked at Willow and then looked away, fidgeting. "Giles kissed me."

Willow nodded, "and then?"

Xander stared at her. "Let me put this another way. Giles kissed me. GILES kissed me. Giles KISSED me. Giles kissed ME. Giles. And that's not the worst part."

"What is the worst part?"

"I think, I think maybe I kissed Giles. No, I know I kissed Giles. Giles. Me. Kissing. Tongues may have been involved. No, no." A panicked look crossed Xander's face. "I take that back. There were no tongues. I will deny with my last breath that there were tongues. In fact I deny the whole thing. I will live forever on the banks of denial. I told Giles it never happened.

"Willow, how am I ever going to look Giles in the face again? I can never go back there. If I get a hotel room, can you bring me some things in the morning?"

"You can come home, Xander. Giles left for a few days," Willow said gently. "Xander, I have to ask. Did Giles, uh, did he, well, did he try to-- Oh God, Xander, did he attack you? Did he hurt you? Is that how the spell went wrong?"

"No, Giles did not hurt me. He did not attack me -- I mean, his arms -- and he-- but he backed off as soon as I--. You seem to be missing my point here, Will, and I don't know how because it’s a really large freaky, freaky point. Giles -- you remember Giles --British guy, watcher, ex-librarian? Giles -- that Giles - kissed me." Xander buried his head in his hands.

Patting him gently on the arm, Willow tried to think of something to say. Xander was clearly hurting and she -- Willow -- deserved to have terrible, terrible things done to her. How could her plan succeed so well and fail so miserably both at once. She'd been so sure that Xander and Giles just needed a little push to fall into each other's arms. And now she had ruined everything.

After a while, Xander pulled himself together a little. "Will? You said Giles left. Did he tell you that we-- Did he say what -- Did he say anything about me? Does he seem okay? Does he hate me?"

"Xander, I'm sure he doesn't hate you, but I didn't talk to him. He left me a note. He left one for you, too." Willow took it from her purse and handed it to him.

Xander stared at the envelope for a moment, as if it might contain his death sentence. Finally he torn the envelope open and read the note

 

Xander--

There can be no excuse for my behavior tonight.

I am going away for a time. I hope when I return we can continue our friendship, and you will allow me the opportunity to regain your trust.

Please believe I deeply regret my actions. They will never be repeated.

\--Giles

 

Xander handed the note to Willow, "Oh gee, Will, he knew it was a spell. He knew it was a spell you and I cast and he's still taking the blame for it. As if I didn't know he'd never have done it if he spell hadn't gone all wonky with massive badness. What did your note say?"

Willow pulled the other envelope out of her purse and gave it to him, watching his face while he read it.

"Remove it at once. Will, what have we been sitting around for? How do we break the spell?"

"It needs the two of us, or I would have done it before," Willow answered. "Here, take my hands."

Closing her eyes, Willow chanted a few words in Latin. "There!" she announced.

Xander shook his head. "No, it didn't work. I can still feel it."

Willow repeated the revoking spell, but Xander still shook his head. "It's still there."

Frustrated, Willow stood up and walked in a circle around Xander. The chanting went on for several minutes, and there were hand gestures and Willow with large black pupils, but when she finished Xander shook his head "still feeling it."

Puzzled, Willow stared at Xander. She circled him again, looking intently from all angles.

"No, Xander, it's gone. There isn't a bitty-bit of magic on you anywhere."

"But I still feel it. And anyway, why should I believe you? You're the one who told me that I had to be all meditation guy for an hour. Giles said the spell works right away."

Willow threw her arms around Xander, and when she spoke he could hear the tears in her voice. "I'm sorry, I'm so sorry. I was like I-know-what's-best-for-everyone-woman and now you and Giles are suffering. I'm the biggest stupid person in the whole world. It's all my fault, I'm the worst best friend there is. I'll do anything I can do make it up to you, Xander, anything. But Xander, the spell is gone now, it really is."

"I don't believe you."

Willow wiped her eyes, grabbed Xander's hands, and him directly in the face. "I swear on my love for Jesse that the spell is gone."

It was their most solemn vow. Xander had to believe she was telling the truth.

"But Willow, if the spell is gone, why do I still want to kiss Giles?"

Willow gave a relieved laugh, and hugged Xander close. "Oh, I am the biggest stupid person in the whole wide world, but YOU, Xander Harris are a very, very close second. This makes things a easier, anyway. Come along, super-incredible-oblivious man, we have things to do. I'll explain while we walk. And I'll use words of one syllable, so you can understand."


	3. Chapter 3

Giles stepped into the train station and looked around. Coffee seemed to be the first order of business, and then a hotel, if there were one that would let him check in this early. The train had stopped at every single little town between here and London, guaranteeing that even if he did manage to doze off, he'd be jolted awake again within a few minutes.

Suddenly Willow stood in his path.

"No," he said violently, "you cannot possibly think we have anything to say to each other. Nor can you believe that your teleporting here is going to help the situation. I know my duty. The slayers need me, and I will return in a few days. But believe me, when I do my very first act will be to find a way to counter your damnable locator spell. Now go home -- by train -- and give me a few days peace to recover from your bloody spell casting." Without waiting for a reply, he turned and headed for the exit. He needed to get away from Willow even more than he needed caffeine.

Willow half ran to keep up with him. "We didn't teleport, Giles. We came on the express. You were on the local -- mucho stops -- so the express train left later and got here sooner. We just gambled that you'd stay on the train all the way to the last stop."

"We?"

Willow pointed across the station, where Xander waited, anxiously looking on.

Giles seemed to wilt. "Willow, I can't. How can I face him? I'm not ready to talk to him. Why did you make him come here? Haven't you and I hurt him enough?"

"I didn't make him come. He wants to be here. He wants to talk to you now, today. Can't you do that for him?"

"Damn it, Willow! How can you --" Giles broke off and took a deep breath and ran his hand through his hair while he regained control. "Yes. Fine. I'll talk to Xander, but not in the middle of the bloody train station."

"Okay, good." Willow nodded. "Here's the plan. I take your luggage, and you and Xander go for a nice walk. See if you can find a park bench or some other good place for a comfy chat. When you're done, meet me back here. I'll hand over your suitcase, and head back to London by train, I swear."

"This is not going to be a comfy chat," Giles insisted, but he handed his case to Willow. "I hope you're proud of yourself, Willow. You have something in common with Angelus, now. You two are the only ones who have ever broken me, and Angelus had to have Drusilla's help. I don’t think you realize how strong that spell was."

Willow winced, but she held her ground. Looking past Giles, she said "The intensity of the spell lies in the intensity of the feelings. I knew you loved him, I didn't think about how very deeply you must love him."

"Yeah, well it doesn't matter how bloody deeply I love him now, does it? He's never going to trust me again. Damn it, Willow, I could strangle you, I really could."

"I'll help you with that, G-man," said a quiet voice behind him.

Giles turned. "Xander. I'm so-- Can you ever-- Are you alright?"

The younger man looked tired and anxious, but gave Giles a weak smile. "I'm okay. Let's go for a walk."

Giving Willow a quick nod goodbye, Xander led the way to the station exit. Giles followed, looking like he was going to his own beheading. Xander kept walking until they came to an area where they had the sidewalk pretty much to themselves. Then he slowed his steps and began to talk.

"Giles, I've had all night to think about what I want to say to you. I need to ask you some questions. I need to understand what happened with that spell."

Giles nodded.

"When did the spell start affecting you?"

"It's a standard come hither spell, works on all the senses. I suppose in my case it would have been when I first saw you in the kitchen."

"But you didn't kiss me when you first saw me."

"For Christ's sake, Xander, give me credit for a modicum of self-control."

"But that was the first time you ever wanted to kiss me, right?"

"The first time I ever -- Xander, I thought you understood how a come hither spell works. You told me yourself that it couldn't change a person's feelings."

"Well, yeah, but maybe Willow… screwed it up?"

"Willow is not my favorite person right now, but I have no reason to believe that she, uh, 'screwed up' the spell."

"Okay. Is the spell affecting you now?"

"No."

"How can you be sure?"

"Because I'm not trying to -- because I have regained my 'overdone British restraint.' Because at 10:43 last night -- yes, I looked at my watch -- I suddenly stopped fighting an almost irresistible compulsion to jump off that horrible train, rush back to London and complete the unholy ruin of my life by throwing myself at your feet. At 10:43 last night, I began instead to experience a well-deserved shame regarding my actions."

"Are you ashamed of being…Gay?"

"I have loved both men and women, so if we were going for labels bisexual might be closest to the mark. I am ashamed of Ethan now, because of what he has become. But I was proud to be his lover, back in the day. My feelings for you are wrong, but not because you are a man. It would be just as shameful if I were lusting after Buffy or Willow."

"Because when you first met us, we were students and you were kind of like a teacher?"

"Because I am twice your age. Because you see me as a father figure, or at least you did until last night. Because you need a father more than you need an aging lover. Because decent adults do not prey on the young and the innocent."

They walked in silence for a while, as Xander thought about Giles' answer.

"I didn't survive Sunnydale by being innocent, Giles. I've killed vamps and demons. I've met people --and things -- who kill for greed, for immortality, for food, or for just plain old fashioned fun."

"But you didn't become one of those people, Xander. I did. I was a murderer before you were born. I'm a murderer twice over now."

"Basically you think it's wrong because I look on you as a father, because you're 50 years old, and because you're a murderer? Xander looked at Giles, who nodded grimly.

"Here's a news flash for you, Giles. I have never thought of you as my father. You and Dad have always been incredibly easy to tell apart. Dad is the one who runs me down when he's drunk and even during the rare times when he's sober. You are the one who believes I'm worthwhile when you're sober, and even during the rare times when you're drunk. Yes, I always looked to you as an example of what a man should be, but I never thought about being your son.

"As far as your age and guilt, well, let's just say that compared to my last significant other you are an infant and an amateur. Anya was eleven-hundred years old, and she certainly averaged more than one dead guy a year, plus I'm pretty sure she started a couple wars. There is no way you could ever touch Anya's record.

"I can name the two people you killed. Ben, because you had to make sure that Glory never caused any more apocolypsy fun. And that Randall guy, the one possessed by a demon, because you had to save your friends and yourself.

"Well, listen up, Giles. If anyone, anyone is endangering Dawn, or Willow, or Buffy or you, I will do whatever needs doing to keep you all safe. You are not the only one who would kill to protect the people he loves. So where do you get off being ashamed to love me?"

Xander stopped when he realized he was shouting.

"Not ashamed to love you, Xander." Giles objected gently, "Never that, I love all you children--"

"We aren't children anymore." Xander's voice was harsh.

"No, but to me-- Oh, what's the use? This is a bloody ridiculous argument. Do you want me to kiss you? No. Do you want me to do much, much more than kiss you? Christ, no. I know that. You know that. But I promise, it will never happen again.

"Let's do as you suggested. Let's go back to the way things were." Giles couldn't bear to think that Xander could be lost to him completely. He needed to retain whatever connection he could "Your friendship, and the chance to work beside you is enough for me, Xander. I swear it will be enough."

"But Giles, Ripper, Rupert, I don't think its gonna be enough for me." And Xander took Giles in his arms and kissed him. Tongues were definitely involved, and it took a while before either of them could think clearly enough to realize that there had to be a better place to do this than the middle of a public sidewalk.


	4. Chapter 4

Willow really believed that things would work out okay between Xander and Giles. So after watching the two men walk out of the station together, she'd been able to sit quietly on the semi-comfortable railway station bench, and read her book. But as time went on, it got harder and harder to concentrate. Eventually she started fidgeting and then pacing. By the time Xander finally came back to the station, Willow was a nervous wreck.

"Where have you been? Is Giles okay? What took so long?"

"It's okay, Will. I'm sorry you had to wait so long, but Giles and I had a lot to work out. We found a hotel room, and I insisted he rest. He had a rough night and a, uh, hard morning. He needs some sleep." Xander ran his hand over his face, "I could use some myself."

"So are you going to stay, is everything okay between you two now?"

"I'm going to stay. We're still working things out, Will, but I think everything will be okay. We agreed that we'll hang here tonight, talk some more, and maybe head back to Slayer Central tomorrow.

"This spell, Will, no matter how well things turn out, it doesn't mean you were right to manipulate me and Giles. I know you meant it for the best, but you will NEVER cast another spell on me unless you tell me everything about it. And even then, I'll make you swear by Jesse that you've been completely honest."

Willow nodded. "Okay, okay, you're right. Full-Disclosure-Wicca-Woman, that's me from now on. Take care of yourself. Take care of Giles. And oh, if you need anything, I'll be right here. The next train to London doesn't leave for another 4 hours."

"Yeah, Giles felt bad that we’d stuck you at the station for so long. He said to tell you that the power to teleport is like a fire extinguisher. It should only be used in an emergency, but it’s a good idea to check occasionally that it still works."

Willow grinned. "Wow, it sounds like you really mellowed him out."

"What can I tell you, Will, I'm the king of mellow. Give my love to everyone at Slayer Central."


	5. Chapter 5

Sunday evening a taxi dropped Giles, Xander and their luggage in front of Slayer Central. Everyone came out to greet them. Willow hung back and watched the two men. Giles seemed tired and a little subdued. Xander was a ball of nervous energy, joking with first this slayer, and then that one. But Willow noticed that he avoided any contact with her or Buffy or Dawn or Giles.

After greeting everyone, Giles said that he and Xander needed to speak with Buffy and Dawn alone. Xander flinched, but he followed Giles and the two women into the house. They all went up to Giles' room, where they could speak privately. Willow was hurt not to be included, but she took it as her punishment for messing up.

She waited anxiously in her room, keeping an eye on the hallway. She wanted to catch Buffy as soon as the talk was over, and find out what was going on.

Suddenly the door was opened. Buffy ran down the stairs too fast for Willow to even think of stopping her, with Xander just behind. Dawn sauntered out more slowly, so Willow asked her, instead. "What's going on?"

"Giles is moving," Dawn answered in a surly tone. "Any idea why he'd want to do that, Willow?"

"What?" Willow was heart-broken. She looked beyond Dawn through the door of Giles room. Giles was taking books off his bookcase, dusting them and putting them into a small chest.

"Dawn says you're moving out?" she asked Giles, hoping he would deny it.

"Dawn says--" he stopped speaking, removed his glasses and cleaned them carefully before pointing to the books in the chest. "As you can see," he said.

"Please don't do this, Giles."

"Really, Willow. I think it's for the best." He smiled faintly, and went back to dusting and packing books.

Buffy came back up the stairs at a run. She was carrying a couple empty cardboard boxes, which she handed to Giles, before pulling a tape measure from her pocket.

"Buffy, tell Giles he can't go." Willow demanded.

"Go?" Buffy asked distractedly as she glanced around Giles' room.

"Willow's upset because I told her about Giles moving out," Dawn said.

Buffy nodded slowly, picking up at pad of paper and a pencil from Giles' desk, and handing them to Dawn. "Will, this is totally between Giles and Xander. They told us that you already knew most of what's been going on with them, that in fact, you were responsible for some of it. They wanted to make sure that Dawn and I could accept the way things stood, and that we could all keep working together. The watching and the slaying thing is too important to let personal feelings mess everything up. Dawn and I told them we love them both, and we're okay with whatever.

Buffy grinned. "Besides, I've already claimed the room. It'll be the first time I've had a bedroom to myself since before the hellmouth collapsed. But it's got to have new curtains." Buffy turned her back on Willow and began to measure the windows, calling out numbers for Dawn to write down.

Willow watched helplessly for a minute as Giles continued to pack his books.

Xander came up the stairs, carrying a beer in one hand, and two more boxes in the other. "This is all I could find," he said, dropping them onto the floor.

"Xander, tell Giles he can't go."

Giles cut in sharply before Xander could say a word, "I am absolutely set on moving, Willow. You are not changing my mind. And it useless for you to appeal to Xander. It was his idea in the first place."

"Xander!" Willow was shocked.

Xander took a slow sip of his beer before replying. "Don't look like that, Will. Sometimes things work out differently from the way you always thought they would. Spells have consequences, you know."

"But how can you ask Giles to move?"

"Come on, Will, look around you. It's obvious." Xander grinned and Dawn started to giggle. "We'd never get a double bed into this little room. Of course, Giles has to move into mine."

-end-


End file.
